The Miami Dolphins will begin their preseason schedule on Friday night in Atlanta, at the Georgia Dome, against the Falcons. It is a “game” by the definition of the word. The score will be kept. Statistics will be recorded.

But the Dolphins aren’t really treating this as a game.

Miami coach Tony Sparano has said on multiple occasions this week that the meeting against the Falcons will allow him and his staff another practice opportunity. That’d be the case for a preseason game in any year. It’s especially true now, though, given all that was lost – mini-camps, off-season team activities, meetings – that were lost to the NFL lockout.

Ordinarily, the Dolphins would be much farther along with their offensive installation. They would have been working with draftees for months, instead of weeks. They would have signed undrafted rookies after the draft in April, instead of signing them days before the start of training camp.

The lockout left all of the NFL’s 32 teams in scramble mode but the Dolphins, perhaps, were among those teams that have had to scramble the most. It’s one thing for, say, the Patriots to rush through a preseason. After all, New England has used the same system for a while now. The players know what to expect. They know how to make it work.

It’s another thing, though, for the Dolphins to rush through the preseason. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has had to condense his offensive installation process into a manageable package that can fit into the small space between the start of camp and the beginning of the regular season. The offensive playbook, thicker than a hardcover dictionary, has had to be cut.

The Dolphins won’t know all of it by the start of the season. Not even close.

So while you might be anxious to see what the Dolphins look like on Friday night, Sparano and his staff are even more anxious. They want to see how certain players – especially the younger, more inexperienced ones – react in certain situations. They want to see how the team to this point has grasped the parts of the playbook that have been installed (and while Miami won’t come close to going through the whole playbook before the start of the season, a lot has already been installed).

Sparano was asked after practice on Wednesday how many series the starters would play.

“Not many,” he said. “I mean, we’ll get them out there, they’ll play, there’s a few guys that may not play, but for the most part most guys will play but just not [much]. I can’t afford it. I have no gauge on how many plays we’re going to play.

“So in other words I don’t know that our offense isn’t going to be out there for 40 plays and our defense out there for 70 or vice versa. So with that in mind I can’t afford to keep a group out there too long without getting some of these young players evaluated.

“I need to make sure these players get evaluated because as we get going here into the next couple weeks I really can’t waste that kind of time.”

Sparano said he the Dolphins wouldn’t do any game-planning for Atlanta. And he didn’t dismiss the possibility of communicating with the Falcons staff and figuring out a way to make this game mutually beneficial for both teams by making it more of a practice opportunity.

“I have done it before in some situations. In fact going into the Dallas [preseason] game last year [Cowboys coach Jason Garrett] and I talked. There are sometimes where you communicate with the other coach and there’s so some things you really want to get work on, maybe things that you really need to see.

“Might be a special team thing where you want to see some rush. Might be a little bit more pressure, one way or the other. If you have a relationship with that coach, that other head coach, you might be able to do that. I think Jason [Garrett] and John [Fox] have that kind of relationship. So as we get on in this thing here and start with these preseason games that would be something I would strongly consider just because you’ve lost practices.

“You wouldn’t under normal circumstances do that but because you’ve lost practices there might be something that they need or you need and there is a little bit of a trade off there.”

So it’s possible that while Miami and Atlanta are competing against one another on Friday night, that they’ll actually be working together some, too. Just another twist in a strange, long lead-up to the 2011 NFL season.

DAVIE—

Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said on Sunday that Pro-Bowl left tackle Jake Long has been placed on the physically unable to perform list while he attempts to recover from a knee injury.

Long has spent Miami’s first three practices of the preseason going through various rehab exercises. His return his unclear, but Sparano said he hopes that Long can be ready to play in the Sept. 12 season opener against New England.

“As I said the other day, he’s going to return when I think he’s ready to return,” Sparano said. “So it’s going to be a little while. I’m going to take it really slow with Jake.”

If Long isn’t off the physically unable to perform list by the start of the season, he’d be forced to miss the Dolphins’ first five games. Long has been dealing with knee issues since before the start of the 2010 season.

He underwent arthroscopic knee surgery during the Dolphins’ bye week a season ago, and he continued to play. Long also played through a shoulder injury later in the season.

Sparano seemed unconcerned that Long wouldn’t be ready to go by the start of the season.

“You’ve seen him doing whatever he’s doing here with the trainers right now,” Sparano said. “But I’m not going to push it. I know exactly what the guy needs to [do] to have himself ready to play.”

When last season ended, the prevailing thought in South Florida was the Dolphins would upgrade at quarterback over Chad Henne. Miami was either going to draft a future starter or bring in a proven veteran via free agency.

The latter could still happen once the lockout ends, but the closer we get to August the more likely it is that Henne will remain the starter. And since he knows this could be his last chance to prove his worth, he might step up and surprise his doubters, including Fantasy owners.

Henne has done a good job this offseason to show his leadership skills by organizing player-only workouts. And he has plenty of talent around him with Brandon Marshall, Davone Bess and Brian Hartline and what should be a stout rushing game with rookie Daniel Thomas.

The Dolphins also brought in a new offensive coordinator in Brian Daboll and spent their first two picks in the NFL Draft on offense with guard/center Mike Pouncey and Thomas. Henne has the tools to be successful, and now he just has to put it all together.

Fantasy owners aren’t going to draft Henne in any leagues, but if he starts out the season playing well then he would be worth adding off the waiver wire as a bye-week or injury replacement. And his success could be the difference for Miami making the playoffs for the first time since 2008 or him looking for a new job come next offseason.

Sleeper … Davone Bess, WR

Bess was another wide receiver that had a breakout year in his third season in the NFL in 2010. Bess finished last season with 79 catches for 820 yards and five touchdowns on 125 targets. Bess has improved his catches, yards and touchdowns each season, and he’s hoping that trend continues this year. He has proven to be one of the best slot receivers in the NFL. He is worth drafting as a No. 4 Fantasy wide receiver in standard leagues and a No. 3 option in point-per-reception formats. He’s a great under-the-radar receiver to target in the late rounds. The good thing for Bess is Marshall gets so much attention from opposing defenders that he can do damage over the middle of the field. While Marshall, who is worth drafting as early as Round 3 in the majority of leagues, remains the best receiving target for the Dolphins, Bess has now established himself as the No. 2 target.

Impact rookie … Daniel Thomas, RB

The Dolphins gave up three draft picks to select Thomas with a late second-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Miami is in need of help at running back because Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are both free agents this offseason. The 6-foot, 230-pound Thomas led the Big 12 Conference in rushing the past two years. He totaled 2,850 yards and 30 touchdowns rushing at Kansas State, and he also made 52 receptions. Thomas has the chance to be the best running back of this draft class based on his opportunity. The Dolphins could still bring back either Brown or Williams or add a veteran free agent, but with the investment the Dolphins made in Thomas he will likely start. We consider him a low-end No. 2/high-end No. 3 Fantasy option heading into the year, and he’s worth drafting as early as Round 5 in standard leagues.

Late-round flier … Brian Hartline, WR

Entering his third season in 2011, Hartline is hoping to take the next step in his career. Hartline played well as a rookie in 2009 before taking a step back last year, which ended on injured reserve after Week 13 due to a finger injury. Hartline only had one touchdown in 2010 and no games with double digits in Fantasy points. He will likely start opposite Marshall, but Hartline is actually the No. 3 wide receiver for the Dolphins behind Bess. Hartline is not worth drafting in the majority of leagues, but he could be worth a late-round flier in deeper formats. And don’t be surprised if you add him off the waiver wire if he finds a way to play well early in the year.

Schedule breakdown

The Dolphins have the chance for some big offensive outings this season if their opponents play like they did in 2010. Miami has quality matchups against Houston, Cleveland, Denver, Washington, Buffalo and Oakland. Sure, the Dolphins have to face some top-tier defenses like the Jets, Giants and Chargers, but Fantasy owners should still be able to get steady production out of players like Thomas, Marshall and Bess. This could be a good year to own several players from Miami’s offense based on this schedule.

Training camp topics

The Dolphins have spent plenty of time working out together despite the lockout with the exception of Marshall. He first had to recover from the stab wound following the domestic violence incident with his wife, and he also was training on his own.

Marshall is expected to be fine for the start of training camp, but we hope he can develop a rapport with Henne right away. Remember, Marshall and Henne weren’t always on the same page last season, and Marshall is easily the best Fantasy option on Miami’s roster.

After Marshall, we want to make sure Thomas will be the starting running back for the Dolphins. Miami is still expected to add a running back to compete with Thomas, but we believe Thomas has the chance to be a special Fantasy option this year. As long as he’s starting you should draft him with confidence in Round 5.

As for Brown and Williams, one or both could be looking for new teams this offseason, and where they sign will determine their Fantasy value. Brown can still be a capable No. 3 Fantasy running back worth a mid-round pick, and Williams is also worth drafting with a late-round pick in the majority of leagues.

Injury update

Brian Hartline (finger; probable for the start of training camp) … Kory Sheets (Achilles’ tendon; probable for the start of training camp) … Karlos Dansby (toe; probable for the start of training camp)

Stay in touch with the most passionate Fantasy staff in the business by following us via Twitter . You can also follow Jamey at @jameyeisenberg . Do you have a question or a comment for our Fantasy staff? Drop us a line at dmfantasyfootball@cbs.com .

“American Football and rugby have a lot in common. Not only do we see this trip as a chance to revise, refresh and re-bond with each other but also give us an extra edge when we return to enable us to go one step better this season and finish our campaign as champions,” Edward Griffiths, Saracens chief executive, said.

Saracens, meanwhile, have been granted a 99-year lease by Barnet Council, with a peppercorn rent of £1 per year, for the Barnet Copthall athletics venue, where the club hopes to construct a new 10,000-seater stadium for next season.

The club hope to hear by June whether their proposals for the stadium – which will include an artificial pitch, new permanent and retractable stands and an indoor running track — will be granted planning permission by the council.

Hopes that the new stadium will be constructed in time for the start of next season, however, look to be dashed. The club wrote to their season-ticket holders this week to inform them that the new stadium, if granted planning permission, is unlikely to be ready until January next year.

Having already given notice to Watford Football Club that they intend to leave Vicarage Road, where they have been based since 1998, at the end of the season, Saracens are exploring a number of venues to host their home games at the start of next season, with at least two fixtures expected to be played at Wembley stadium.

The club may also ask Premiership Rugby if they can play a number of away games in the first part of their league campaign, while another option would be to remain at Vicarage Road until December if an agreement can be reached with Watford.

There is no certainty but uncertainty to this NFL offseason. That is league-wide, with labor strife and a lockout looming, but especially in Miami, where questions and doubts start at the top and hardly anything seems sure.

That was underlined in bold Thursday at the start of the annual NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, where Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland continued the club’s misguided public undercutting of quarterback Chad Henne.

Asked about Henne and the team’s status at that position, Ireland said, “He’s the guy on our football team that we have to be committed to because he’s the only one we have right now.”

Geez! In the ringing-endorsement category, that ranks right down there with, “I suppose he’ll have to do until we find somebody better.”

Henne is a 25-year-old quarterback coming off a 3,000-yard season, by the way, but the Dolphins, in lieu of at least token public support — if only for appearances or a crazy attempt at basic kindness — continue to speak of him as if he’s 41, uses a walker, has bad breath and supports Moammar Gadhafi.

I’m not saying Henne has proved to be the answer, but isn’t that still a question? Isn’t there still a possibility he will continue to develop, stave off whatever competition is signed or drafted and remain the starter?

You would think the club would choose that optimistic, confidence-building stance, at least outwardly, if only so that potential free agents might not be scared off by the GM’s palpable gloom over the most important position.

Not only that, but when you proclaim your team is desperate to upgrade, don’t you drive up the price in the event you’re looking to trade for a quarterback or trade up to draft one?

Thursday’s Irelandism reminds us not only of the Dolphins’ quaking ground at quarterback, but also of the fact the man now in charge of all football personnel decisions is essentially a rookie at the job – Ireland with the final say for the first time in his NFL career, and sans his safety net, Bill Parcells.

Dolfans can only hope Ireland is more qualified for his job than he apparently thinks Henne is qualified for his.

Doubts everywhere

Doubts start even higher than Ireland.

Club owner Stephen Ross made his doubts about coach Tony Sparano public in trying unsuccessfully to replace him – an indelible stain, publicly and personally, on all parties involved.

That makes Sparano’s grip on his job and future every bit as wonderfully firm as the confident grasp Henne enjoys.

And Sparano, fair to say, inspired more panic than confidence is choosing Brian Daboll, light of résumé and result, as his new offensive coordinator.

Neither owner nor GM nor coach nor offensive chief nor quarterback can be feeling very sure about anything right now as this week’s Combine signals the approach of the April draft, and next week’s expiring collective bargaining agreement clouds the start of free agency.

Surely Dolfans cannot be feeling very sure about anything, either, the optimist inside them mightily challenged to fathom how the gulf between the Dolphins and the Patriots and Jets can be bridged quickly.

I cannot tell you how many friends, acquaintances and readers I hear from who are passionate, die-hard Dolfans, and how often I hear this or a variation of it: